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| The 'I Love Eco' exhibition will show 48 works by renowned Korean artists from Aug. 21 to 26 at the fifth floor of Insa Art Center in central Seoul. Four works by famous sculptor duo Kim Eun-sung and Kim Seo-kyung, best known for 'Statue of Peace,' are also included in the exhibition. This bronze sculpture was made by Kim Seo-kyung in 2011. Courtesy of the artist |
More than a dozen Korean artists, including painters and sculptors, contributed their art to raise money to stop environmental degradation. The "I Love Eco" exhibition, featuring 48 works by artists, including Min Joung-ki and Lim Ok-sang, will be held for six days starting Aug. 21 on the fifth floor at the Insa Art Center in central Seoul.
Sculptor duo Kim Eun-sang and Kim Seo-kyung join the exhibition with four bronze sculptures, each symbolizing the endearing innocence of young boys and girls, full of the dreams and possibilities of childhood. The couple became famous for the "Statue for Peace," the bronze sculpture of a little girl embodied the fortitude and spirit of victims of wartime sex slavery operated by the Japanese imperial military during World War II.
Artists Min Joung-ki and Lim Ok-sang, both pioneers of the pro-democracy and populist art movement in Korea, have also joined the exhibition, creating new pieces exclusively for the exhibition.
During a press conference of the exhibition held on Tuesday, Min said his new piece was inspired by the view of a stream in Seoul's Mount Inwang. The mountain has inspired many Korean artists.
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| Painter Min Joung-ki has newly created this piece, inspired by a stream of Mount Inwang in Seoul. Courtesy of the artist |
"We have seen great works of art about Mount Inwang from the past, including many works by Kyomjae Jeong Seon, Korea's famed landscape painter of the 17th century. But now it is difficult to find those locations from the painting in the mountain, due to newly constructed buildings and asphalt-paved roads. I decided to draw a valley of the mountain, as the mountain epitomizes the nation's history, environment and politics, all fused together," Min explained.
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| Artist Lim Ok-sang presents his new piece "Be Water" for the exhibition. Courtesy of the artist |
"I painted with soil. Soil is the home of every life, with the power to give birth to every creature. The environment and soil are inseparable. Also, water represents the providence of nature. As an old saying goes, people can reach their nirvana when they can follow the traits of water, which flows downwards, cleansing all the dirt," Lim said.
Choi Yul, the chairman of Korea Green Foundation, the organizer of the exhibition, said the event was planned to raise money for the construction of their new complex building, slated to be completed late next year.
Designed by renowned architect Seung H-Sang, the new building located in the old district of Seoul aims to provide an open green space for Seoulites with a concert hall, cafes and offices for social enterprises.
"After my nearly five-decades-long experience in the environmental movement, I believe only the power of art can transform humanity's innate materialism. I hope our initiatives help societal efforts to create such eco-friendly new ways of life. If we continue the way we live for some 30 years more, we might be too late to save the Earth," Choi said.
The opening ceremony of the six-day exhibition will be held in the afternoon of Aug. 21 at the Insa Art Center in Seoul. The exhibition will run through Aug. 26 at the fifth floor of the art center.
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| Artists Lim Ok-sang, from left, and Min Joung-ki, sit with Korea Green Foundation Chairman Choi Yul, right, at a press conference held in central Seoul, Tuesday. The "I Love Eco" exhibition will be held from Aug. 21 to 26 at the fifth floor of Insa Art Center in Seoul. Yonhap |
